All eyes on the Nationals

And so begins the most anticipated homestand in Nationals history. Already, there are some national media types hanging around in the press box. On June 7, the Nationals will presumably draft Bryce Harper. The following day, Stephen Strasburg will climb the mound at Nationals Park. I would contend there won't be a more significant 48 hours in Nationals history until they reach the World Series, if and when they do.

"There's nothing to compare it to," Nationals President Stan Kasten said. "No one's ever been through that. It would be unique to just have back-to-back No. 1s, and unique to have back-to-back No. 1s -- not just that people really people knew about and had hopes for, but have back-to-back No. 1s with the possibility that both of them are thought of as once-in-a-lifetime talents.

"That's, again, unique and exciting for us. And maybe a little bit Karmic reward for the breaks we've had the last couple years and what we've all - both in our team and in the fans - had to live through. This is yet another step in what we already think is the path to big success as a team. I think last year's draft and this year's draft will move us that much closer."

The Nationals expect more than 200 crendentialed media to attend Tuesday's game -- that's more than plenty of early-round playoff games. One Nationals staffer concluded it's the most buzzed-about happening in D.C. since President Obama's inauguration.

First, though, the Nationals have three games against the Cincinnati Reds, starting with what promises to be a unique scene tonight. Long speculated to be Strasburg's debut, the Nationals are going to have a huge announced attendance, at least 30,000. How many people show up -- and how many are nephews, nieces and cousins and scummy ticket brokers -- remains to be seen. But it will certainly be a unique start to an unprecedented week.